The present invention relates to a fastening device for installing gas or liquid conducting pipes. More specifically the present invention relates to a fastening device enabling an economical installation of a plurality of parallel pipes usually used in the semiconductors and pharmaceutical industries. In those fields of industry, hundreds of metal gas pipes have to be installed over a limited area. Compared with the conventional art in this field, the new fastening device, according to the present invention, enables the increase of up to 300% in the amount of installed gas pipes in a given area.
In many fields of industry, there is a need for installing metal gas pipes between a reservoir of one or more kinds of gas (or liquid), and working emplacements, robots and machines. The production facilities of the semiconductors and pharmaceutical industries extensively utilizes stainless steel piping for the transport of gases and liquids. Via these stainless steel pipes, the various gases and liquids flow from the various chemical systems to the production area in the cleanroom. In such industries, hundreds of pipes are needed and installed along the walls or the ceiling.
Until now, the pipes are installed under the ceiling by securing them to lateral bars which are spaced at intervals along the path of the gas pipes. The lateral bars are fastened to the ceiling or to parallel walls of a corridor, while the gas pipes cross the bars suspended from below and are secured to the bars by clamps. Generally, the piping segments are connected to each other by fastening their ends or welding them. To avoid breakage in either of these connective methods, the requirements from the clamping means are that they secure the pipes to the bars so as to prevent any slight sliding or moving of a pipe in any direction.
The prior art in this field shows a supporting structure made from lateral tracks (bars). Each track is shaped in an inverted U transverse cross section, and all the tracks are attached to walls or ceiling in substantially fixed intervals. The metal gas pipes are secured to the tracks by metal clamps which are inserted into each track according to the number of pipes crossing under the specific track. One clamp for each gas pipe is needed. Each clamp has a closed upper part adapted for insertion into a track, and a lower part with opened tongs adapted to receive a pipe. During the installation procedure, the lower part tongs are closed and tightened over the pipe by a bolt (screw). The bolt passes through holes in the opened tongs, in a transverse direction to the path of the pipe. According to said prior art supporting means, it is possible to install only up to one pipe of a xc2xcxe2x80x3 diameter, per 1.25 inch. Each clamp needs an interval of over 1 inch for securing its bolt or for opening it. Hence, although five xc2xcxe2x80x3 pipes laying beside each other are of a length of 1.25 inch, actually (because of the extra space needed for the bolt) only one pipe may be secured to the track (per 1.25xe2x80x3). Another problem posed by using the prior art supporting means for the insertion (or removal) of a pipe from between the clamp tongs, is that the closing bolt must first be removed.
The fastening device according to the present invention significantly reduces this 1 inch interval between each pair of pipes. In addition, the device may be provided as one unit with its bolt, and there is no need to remove the bolt prior to use.
In order to install many more pipes per given track length unit, there is a need to change the direction of the bolt in each clamp, such that it will have to be secured or opened in the direction of the pipe, instead of in the lateral direction as it is until now. The problem is that in the direction of a pipe the clamp has to be opened in order to receive a pipe. The obliged orientation of such opening, forces a lateral orientation to the tightening bolt which uses to close this opening, fixing the pipe therein. In these circumstances, it seems to be impossible to change this forced lateral orientation of the bolt.
Surprisingly, the present invention solves this problem by inverting both, the direction of the bolt and the direction of the opening of the clamp. The fastening device (clamp) according to this invention is closed from its bottom, and its opening for receiving a pipe is made in the direction of the ceiling. The adjusting bolt is directed along the path direction of the pipe, and the pipe is secured to the fastening device not by the force of the fastening device itself, but by a mutual pressure between the clamp and the track. Furthermore, according to this invention, the same operation which closes the fastening device also secures it to the lateral supporting track. Therefore, the fastening device, according to the present invention, reduces to minimum the required interval between each pair of parallel installed pipes. The only space needed between pipes is equivalent to the width of the side walls of two neighboring fastening devices. By this improvement, the maximum number of installed pipes in a predetermined space, is increased by up to 300%. The benefits are in space conservation, as well as in total length of supporting tracks. In addition, the fastening device and its adjusting bolt may be supplied to the user as a complete unit, for rapid installation procedure. In a single operation, both the fastening device is secured to the supporting track and the pipe is fixed to its place. The adjusting bolt is handled easily, without any interruptions from bolts of neighboring fastening devices. Those advantages save time and money in installation and maintenance procedures.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a fastening device for installing pipes to a supporting track which allows compact installing of pipes with no space between adjacent pipes.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a fastening device that can be easily installed and easily removed from the supporting track for rapid installation or removing of individual pipes without any need to remove adjacent pipes and that can be easily added (or removed) for the installation of additional pipes at any desired stage.
Yet it is another object of the present invention to provide such a fastening device that can be installed into (or removed from) the supporting track and can accept the pipe (or letting it being removed) without a need to remove the bolt prior to installing the device into the track or prior to accepting the pipe, thus can be the supplied as a one unit and avoids the risk of losing bolts during installation, or of using inappropriate bolts.
The present invention relates to a fastening device for installing a gas or a liquid conducting pipe, to a lateral supporting track having a transverse cross section shape of inverted U with inwardly bent ends near its opening, comprising: a body made of two substantially identical parts and a bolt for connecting and fastening them to each other at their upper part. Each of said identical parts has two parallel side walls which are interconnected only in their upper ends and their bottom ends are free with a gap between them for the passage of the pipe. Near both said free bottom ends there is a first protrusion in a parallel direction to said passage, both side walls have in a mid portion a second protrusion in a parallel direction to said passage but in the opposite direction of the first protrusion. Above the interconnection area between the side walls there is a hole for inserting the adjusting bolt in a parallel direction to said passage gap, the two identical parts are connected to each other by adjusting the bolt which passes through the hole of each part such that said second protrusion of each side wall of each identical part is facing inwardly and touching and pressed to a corresponding second protrusion of the other identical part creating mutual pivot points between the two identical parts, wherein closing and tightening the adjusting bolt brings the hole of each identical part closer to the other""s and simultaneously the first protrusions of each identical part are pushed outwardly and upwardly anchoring the device with the pipe therein to said inwardly bent ends of the lateral track.
The fastening device, according to the present invention, can be manufactured in many ways, in various sizes, and from various materials, according to the fastening requirements in various systems. The fastening device can be further improved by comprising a bulge in an interior side of each of its side walls, such that a slight force is required to bring the device to position on a pipe. This improvement prevents slipping of the device during fastening operation.
The fastening device can be designed such that each of said second protrusions is pointed, or, alternatively, having in each identical part one second protrusion with a slight indentation and another second protrusion with a slight bulge, such that when the two identical parts are in position, facing each other, each pivot point is created by a pair of a bulge of one identical part and a corresponding indentation of the other identical part.
In the context of this invention: xe2x80x9cadjusting boltxe2x80x9d includes all its needed paraphernalia (nut, ring, flat washer, lock washer etc.) It also includes a built-in nut in the body of the fastening device, and miscellaneous parts as a spiral spring, if such designed and wanted, etc. and it further includes plurality of adjusting bolts e.g. in a fastening device for a large pipe; xe2x80x9ca pipexe2x80x9d includes any intermediate sheath placed between the fastening device and the pipe, or between the pipe and the supporting track, (or both), for securing the pipe, fixing it more firmly or protecting it against damage.